Family Day in British Columbia is a statutory (public) holiday that is celebrated the second Monday in February each year. On Monday, February 12, 2018, British Columbians will be celebrating their sixth Family Day.

Statutory (public) holiday

To be eligible for this statutory holiday, an employee must have been employed for 30 calendar days before the statutory holiday, and must have worked or earned wages on 15 of the 30 days immediately before the statutory holiday. Note: Employees who work under an averaging agreement or variance at any time in the 30 days before the holiday do not have to meet the 15-day requirement.

An employee who is entitled to a statutory holiday must be paid at least an “average day’s pay”. An eligible employee is entitled to be paid an average day’s pay when the employee is given a day off on a statutory holiday, or it falls on a regular day off. When an eligible employee works on a statutory holiday, they are entitled to be paid time-and-a-half for the first 12 hours worked and double-time for any work over 12 hours, plus an average day’s pay.

To calculate an average day’s pay: Divide “total wages” earned in the 30 calendar days before the statutory holiday by the number of days worked. Note: Vacation days taken during this period count as days worked.

Where an employee is not eligible for statutory holiday pay, they are not entitled to be paid an average day’s pay. If an ineligible employee works on a statutory holiday the employee may be paid as if it were a regular workday.

Note: Some employees may be exempt from statutory holiday entitlements under BC’s Employment Standards Act. For specific legislative requirements and entitlements to Family Day, consult our payroll publication PaySource, which is a comprehensive source for Canadian payroll compliance information. Click here to try PaySource free for 30 days!

The other provinces and federally regulated workplaces

Family Day (under various names) is also recognized by other provinces: Alberta, Manitoba, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Prince Edward Island, Saskatchewan and New Brunswick. These provinces celebrate Family Day on the third Monday in February each year; February 19, 2018, is the third Monday. Be sure to check out our blog next week for further information on Family Day in these provinces.

Provincial employment standards legislation does not apply to employees of federally regulated businesses (i.e., banks, telecommunications companies, railways and airlines) or to federal civil servants. These employers are covered by the Canada Labour Code, which does not provide for Family Day. However, federally regulated employers can, at their discretion, add Family Day as a public holiday or floater day in workplace policies.

Celebrating Family Day

Take the time to enjoy the day with family and friends! Click here to find events that are taking place in your community.

Also, you can use the hashtag #BCFamilyDay to join in on Family Day discussions!

Have a safe and enjoyable Family Day!

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Yosie Saint-Cyr, LL.B., is a trained lawyer called to the Quebec bar in 1988 and is still a member in good standing. She practiced business, employment and labour law until 1999. For over 18 years, Yosie has been the Managing Editor of the following publications, Human Resources Advisor, Human Resources PolicyPro, HRinfodesk and Accessibility Standards PolicyPro from First Reference. Yosie is one of Canada’s best known and most respected HR authors, with an extensive background in employment and labour across the country. Read more